Don't Have Law Degree but an Experienced Lawyer? Take the next step

It is also now possible to complete your CILEX qualification via a specialised degree route: The LLB (CILEX) is a four-year, part-time, online degree, a bespoke programme offered in collaboration with The University of Law.

If you are looking to further your career in the law or wider commercial sector and are looking to study online, this course could be suitable for you. Students embarking on this programme must be enrolled as CILEX members. During the course of your LLB, you will also be required to complete the ethics and professional responsibility e-learning modules and the professional experience requirement of CPQ at both Foundation and Advanced stages. By doing this, you will be able to progress through the CILEX membership grades, from Student to CILEX Advanced Paralegal.

The LLB (CILEX), in line with the philosophy of CPQ, has a practical focus, with employability integrated into the course – helping to get you prepared for the professional world. There will be a high level of interaction and you will receive peer and one-to-one professional tutor review.

Graduates from this programme will be able to progress directly to CPQ Professional stage to qualify as CILEX Lawyers.

You’re already working in law, so you know that the legal sector is changing fast. Clients increasingly want and need specialist lawyers to help them address the challenges that shape their lives and businesses – professionals whose skills and expertise focus on the area of law that affects them. You also know that employers value and need specialists rather than generalists.

With your legal experience, you will find the CPQ Foundation stage a valuable refresher before beginning to specialise at the Advanced stage, building your knowledge and skills and adding increasing value to your employer. If you go on to take the Professional stage you will qualify as a specialist lawyer and be able to operate at the same level as a solicitor, but with far more practical experience and specialist knowledge than a newly qualified lawyer from a different route.

CILEX-qualified professionals have been leading the way as specialists for decades. Today there are more than 1,000 partners in UK law firms who took the CILEX route.

Just like the practice of law, studying law is changing and CILEX is leading the way. Our new CPQ programme uses a blended learning approach so that you can study in the way that suits you. Naturally there’s the conventional text-based study – but all of our course materials are available via the CILEX hub so that you can create your own digital study library, make notes and use markers to help your study. Alongside your digital texts, you’ll also have access to a wide range of online seminars and tutorials, streaming lectures and hot topic sessions to bring your learning to life.

At the start of your study programme, you’ll be assigned a Learning and Development Adviser, a trained professional who will check in with you regularly, answer your questions and direct you to specific resources to support your learning. Depending on your training provider you may also be able to access additional resources and communities. One of the defining features of CPQ is the emphasis on helping you to develop the practical skills and behaviours that will support your practice.

Everyone studying CPQ is required to take our Ethics and Professional Responsibility modules. These will provide you with a solid platform of knowledge about the legal system, professional code of conduct, and your responsibilities in areas such as data protection, client confidentiality and money-laundering. You’ll also work through a series of practical case studies in which you’ll explore your professional obligations and how to behave in different challenging situations.

Studying and qualifying with CILEX is designed to be as flexible as possible to fit around your work and life commitments. You can choose where to study from a wide range of leading training providers and take the CPQ stages at a speed that suits you – there’s no pressure to complete within fixed times and you can sit your CPQ assessments when you are ready.

Unlike other legal training routes you don’t need to have a training contract or graduate placement to start on CPQ, though you will need to demonstrate law-related work in order to develop your work experience portfolio. In fact, many leading employers recognise CILEX training programmes as the high-quality, cost-efficient route for developing their legal talent and offer financial and study support for employees taking this route.

Access to high-quality education, bespoke career support and ongoing professional development
Regulation from our independent regulator, CILEx Regulation
Use of designatory letters to raise your professional status and profile
Career development materials through our exclusive ‘myCareer’ portal
Professional networking and the opportunity to develop emerging policy ideas through our specialist reference groups
Exclusive member discounts and offers, as well as the support that LawCare has to offer

As an experienced legal professional you will start CPQ at the Foundation stage*. This will give you an understanding of the fundamentals of the UK legal system. From here you will begin to specialise on the areas of law that are most relevant to you and your employer. Your journey to becoming a specialist lawyer – studying, working and applying your learning in the workplace – has been designed to be both flexible and challenging. While you can progress through CPQ as fast as you like, the typical journey to full qualification, starting at the Foundation stage, will take around three years, though there is no time limit on your progress.

See the table below for indicative costs for each stage of CPQ.

*You may be eligible for some exemptions from Foundation stage modules. This will depend on the nature and extent of any previous formal legal qualifications.

Supercharge your career.

Become a specialist lawyer.

Supercharge your career.

Become a specialist lawyer.

CILEX Professional Qualifications (CPQ) Framework

LLB (CILEX)

Why CPQ from CILEX is right for you

A modern way of learning

Flexibility with CILEX

Leading employers trust CILEX to develop their teams

Even if you're not ready to start CPQ, you can still become a CILEX member and enjoy a range of benefits:

The best-value route to boost your career

We partner with leading training providers to deliver CPQ so that you can choose where and how to study